Sensational Saxophonist Aaron Shaw: Discover His Must-Hear Tracks!

Originating from Los Angeles
For fans of Miguel Atwood Ferguson, Shabaka Hutchings’s flute performances, the Coltranes
What’s next Debut album And So It Is releasing on February 13

For those who play woodwind instruments, the act of breathing is vital: it’s the soul of their craft, infusing their sound with unique character. However, a couple of years back, Aaron Shaw, a saxophonist based in Los Angeles, noticed he was struggling to breathe. Diagnosed with bone marrow failure at the age of 27 in 2023, his body was not producing sufficient red blood cells necessary for oxygen transport. This predicament necessitated a new strategy in his approach to music and life.

Shaw’s musical journey accelerated rapidly. He was mentored by Kamasi Washington, collaborated with icons such as Herbie Hancock and Anderson .Paak, and even provided music theory lessons to André 3000. Shaw frequently collaborates with LA’s esteemed bandleader Carlos Niño, contributing to Niño’s 2024 new-age jazz project Placenta and a prior year’s venture with poet Saul Williams. Niño returned the favor by producing and adding percussion to Shaw’s upcoming debut album And So It Is, enriched with the ambient West Coast jazz vibes reminiscent of both Niño’s and Washington’s styles. Yet, Shaw’s signature sound carries a deeper, more somber tone, which he carefully maneuvers through.

On the album, Shaw primarily performs on the tenor saxophone and alto flute. The latter requires less breath, making it somewhat easier for him, but he continues to embrace the saxophone. His playing style, reminiscent of Lester Young, gracefully flows above Chick Corea’s “Windows to the Soul” and endures through the prolonged notes of “Heart of a Phoenix.” The album showcases a young artist adapting to the closure of one musical chapter while tentatively exploring the next. Intimate looping and unexpected flute embellishments throughout the album inject hopeful tones into this profoundly candid record. Hugh Morris

Top New Music Releases This Week

Kim Gordon – Not Today
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Morgan Nagler – Grassoline

“I know Jesus ain’t gonna save me / And if he does that’d just be crazy,” croons the LA singer-songwriter in this catchy, rough-edged tribute to nature, filled with a charmingly disheveled twang. LS

Raf-Saperra – Butcher’s Scale (ft Benny the Butcher)

Raf-Saperra, hailing from Streatham Hill, ventures to the US, blending his Punjabi style with classic boom-bap rhythms and a feature from Benny the Butcher; the EP also includes a track with Ghostface Killah. BBT

Wu Lyf – Tib St Tabernacle

The band from Manchester revives its unique style in this 11-minute epic that transitions from a lively march to a frenzied charge, potentially rekindling their cult following. [Not on Spotify: stream here] BBT

Elsas – Niño
A member of Sampha’s touring band and collaborator with artists like Little Simz and Jockstrap, this Spanish musician’s solo debut masterfully combines intense metallic beats with spiritual vocals, drawing inevitable comparisons to Rosalía. LS

Sunn O))) – Glory Black
A signature track featuring a heavy guitar backdrop that hums like a dozing giant, surprisingly broken by a minimalist piano segment. LS

Beau Wanzer – Shitty Cough 17

Emerging from the depths, this track features a heavy, distorted dembow rhythm intertwined with sinister vocal overlays, characteristic of the dance music outlier’s latest EP. BBT

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